On May 12, CA’s Stamper Commons and new Field House will be transformed by music, energy, great grub, and libations into a New Orleans-inspired Jazz Fest to benefit financial aid.
Get your tickets to “Fiyo on the Bayou” today! Keep reading to listen to Trombone Shorty.
“The year 2018 marks the 300th anniversary of the city of New Orleans, so we thought that bringing a small part of The Big Easy’s tricentennial celebration to Colorado Academy would be an awesome way to raise funds for Financial Aid at CA,” says Chris Tetzeli, one of the four CA fathers co-chairing this spring’s event. The other co-chairs are Brent Fedrizzi, Chris Oertel, and Nelson Perkins.
Fiyo on the Bayou will feature Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Established in 1961 to honor traditional New Orleans Jazz, Preservation Hall originally operated as a music venue and nonprofit organization aimed at preserving the history of New Orleans jazz. Nightly jazz concerts at Preservation Hall piqued media interest nationally from its inception and, as time went on, founder Allan Jaffe believed that the success of both Preservation Hall and its mission of preservation would require a touring band. In 1963, he organized the Preservation Hall Jazz Band for a string of performances. The tour was a success and the rest, they say, is history. Since then, Preservation Hall Jazz Band has played with a diverse group of artists which range from the Grateful Dead to Mos Def, the Del McCoury Band, and My Morning Jacket. “We are so excited to help preserve the traditions of New Orleans jazz by bringing Preservation Hall’s historic sound to our home and hosting them here in Colorado,” says Co-chair Fedrizzi.
The headliner of the Fiyou on the Bayou concert stage will be Troy Andrews (aka Trombone Shorty) and his band, Orleans Avenue. Trombone Shorty was born into a New Orleans music family in 1986, and at a young age he mastered the trombone, trumpet, and drums, first appearing on stage at the age of four alongside Bo Diddley at the New Orleans Jazz Festival. Leading his own band at age eight and going on tour at age ten, Trombone Shorty’s trombone became the tool that launched his career. Today, Trombone Shorty and his band Orleans Avenue perform before audiences all over the world in large concert venues, arenas, and often headline large festivals. “We are very excited for Trombone Shorty, “The Crown Prince of New Orleans music” to headline our own jazz festival,” says Oertel.
Co-chair and Chef Nelson Perkins is thrilled to bring the flavor of The Crescent City to CA at Fiyo on the Bayou. “From now until about late June, sweet and delicate crawfish are in season,” says Perkins. The New Orleans tradition of eating crawfish, which began in the mid-1700s when Acadians, ancestors to the Cajuns, caught crawfish on the slow-moving water of the bayous is today—with the popularity of Cajun food and culture—a delicacy for all. Perkins is excited to host NOLA’s Crawfish King, who will be bringing the boil to CA including crawfish, shrimp, potatoes, and corn. Perkins, CA’s Paul Worley, and our favorite local culinary talents will be throwing in sausage and adding gumbo, BBQ, vegetarian étouffée, gluten free options and more. Don’t forget that your tickets include all of the food and beverage you can stomach!
Join the celebration on May 12 by purchasing your tickets today. Individual, all-inclusive tickets are $150. Visit www.coloradoacademy.org/concert or become a Benefactor (select Benefactor packages still available). All net proceeds benefit Financial Aid at CA. Questions? Please contact Tricia Wales at 303-914-2509 or tricia.wales@coloradoacademy.org.